Alumni Bring Word From Iraq A Director`s Walk in the Park

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National
Honor Society
Discussion
The Current
State of Affairs
Part Two
Super Bowl
Predictions
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Alumni Bring Word From Iraq
BY CLINT COWAN AND
ANDREW MANUGIAN
N
Baghdad and Fallujah. Jay, an
ROTC scholar, completed his
undergraduate study at
Harvard before pursuing a law
degree at Georgetown. He currently serves in the JAG corp.
and has recently returned from
a prominent Abu Ghraib Prison
trial, in which he was lead defense for an indicted corrections officer. The Owl’s Hoot
had the opportunity to sit in
with the two alums on their visit.
Here is some of what they had
to say about Iraq, their careers,
and life at MUS:
(Please note that, according to mili-
This past Friday, January
tary rules for active JAG duty, Jay was
28th, MUS had the distinct
not allowed to discuss his case or personal opinions in detail.)
privilege of receiving two of its
young alumni, recently given
Q: Rob, what was your exleave from service in Iraq. Rob
perience with the negative asEdwards, Class of '89, and Jay
pects of the war which the meHeath, Class of '93, visited
dia depicts, like Abu Ghraib?
throughout the day with favorRob: We were in Fallujah
ite teachers and administrators,
at the time Abu Ghraib hit the
sharing stories of the past but,
news. It was not a pretty sight.
more important perhaps, bringWe were being
ing news from the
mortared and rockfront lines of our
eted on base two or
nation’s extensive
three times a day. I’d
military involvement
be woken up in the
in Iraq. Rob, a
middle of the night
graduate of the Uniwith mortar rounds
versity of Missisgoing off. Some
sippi, was an intellinights I slept with my
gence officer in a
Kevlar helmet and
National Guard milibody armor on. Abu
tary police unit and
Prison was two or
has just returned
from eleven months
Coach Batey and Mr. Askew pose with three miles from our
of active duty in former students Jay Heath and Rob Edwards base, and we had to
deal with it—three,
MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
NON-PROFIT
four, five thousand Iraqis want6191 PARK AVENUE
ORGANIZATION
ing their family members out of
MEMPHIS, TN 38119-5399
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
prison or they’d riot. Word got
MEMPHIS, TN
out on the street that troops
PERMIT #631
were treating all Iraqis like that
[as in Abu Ghraib]. When word
got out, it didn’t help our image. And coming down to it,
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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A Director’s Walk in
the Park
BY ERIC WILSON
had anticipated, but after much
pondering I cast the show’s
leads with Elspeth Runyan, a
senior at St. Mary’s, as Corie
Bratter, and our own David
Minervini as Paul Bratter, her
newlywed husband. Heather
Nadolny, another St. Mary’s
senior, played Corie’s Mother,
Walter Klyce played Victor
Velasco, Preston Battle played
the telephone man, and Parker
Long played the delivery man.
Rehearsals started immediately following our production
of The Tempest. Along with
Mike Schaeffer as technical
director and Ansley Fones, a
St. Mary’s senior, as stage
manager, we began planning
out the set, props, and costumes. Rehearsals couldn’t
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Having been involved with
MUS theatre for the past six
years, I have always dreamed
of directing a show for the
school. But when I actually got
the opportunity, I had absolutely no idea what show to direct. I wanted a play that
would be entertaining to an
audience of both adolescents
and their parents, but I also
wanted a plot filled with humor.
Through browsing the
works of Neil Simon, I found
Barefoot in the Park. It is a
romantic comedy about a newlywed couple, Corie and Paul
Bratter, who go through some
marital problems while trying
to set up Corie’s mother with
the man who lives in their
apartment attic,
Mr. Velasco.
After having
read the play a
dozen times , I
held auditions
at the beginning
of this school
year for the
show’s limited
six parts. Casting was more Walter Klyce, Heather Nadolny, Elspeth
Runyan, and David Minervini trying out
difficult than I
appetizers
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Editors-in-Chief
Clint Cowan
Andrew Manugian
Associate Editors
Ben Bleustein
Parth Sheth
Technical/Layout
Editor
Roger Chu
Michael Fong
Cartoonist
Zach Glover
News Editors
Alex Chinn
Charles Askew
Sports Editors
John Taylor
Josh Evensky
Viewpoints Editors
Warner Russell
Amusements Editors
David Minervini
Peter Zanca
Columnists
Marshall Bartlett
John Daniel
Preston Dennis
John Hammons
Walter Klyce
Aaron Struminger
Photographers
Neely Mallory
Mike Montesi
Worth Morgan
Hank Wynn
Faculty Advisor
Mr. N. Thompson
RETURN FROM IRAQ
we weren’t trained for what
we were doing. Luckily, some
of the other guys and I had
backgrounds in civilian law enforcement and we knew how
to handle ourselves. Some of
the guys in the unit who were
implicated [in the scandal]
were cops too. When this got
out, these guys [media] were
on a feeding frenzy, all over it,
it was constantly on the news,
so our morale went lower. International media, the Arab stations like Al Jazeera, pushed
the issue that we were all like
this, that we were there to
abuse citizens. We were there
to help, but because of Abu we
had to work even harder to
prove our existence there [was
legitimate].
Jay: To lay the ground
rules, I can only talk about
things that are matters of public record. I know some stuff
that is sensitive, for special use
only. Stuff that my client told
me I also can’t talk with you
about. As far as his background
[in Abu Ghraib] goes, he was
a corrections officer and
worked in a prison in the state
of Pennsylvania. Some of the
other guys were civilian police
officers
Q: Rob, will you give us
some background on what
you did in Iraq beyond military duty?
Rob: I first got involved
with prosthetics and orthotics with a reserve sergeant
and a captain. Both of them
started a project, and I got
involved helping them ship
the parts. We had sixty patients when we left, all Iraqis. The parts were all donated, mainly from a company called Autobot. Most
of the patients we saw were
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from the Iran-Iraq War. One
guy [a patient] had been three
decades without a prosthetic.
We had one guy who was an
Iraqi pilot who was shot down
by his own air defense and lost
his leg. He went to Saddam for
help and was thrown in prison
for crashing the plane. Most of
the guys had been blown up in
tanks by the Iranians. It was
interesting to hear their stories.
Q: Rob, we also heard
about a school supply project.
Could you tell us about it?
Rob: My church got about
$3,000 worth of school supplies together and paid for the
shipping. I contacted AFN
(Armed Forces Network) and
they came over and filmed the
event. We started giving them
out in a nursery and then went
to a primary school, which has
fourth grade all the way to seniors. It [the school] was within
the Green Zone so we didn’t
need an armed escort. The kids
were ecstatic. It was really
heartwarming to see their reactions. All of them wanted
their pictures taken [with us]. I
got a mixed reaction about how
the Iraqis felt about us. The kids
didn’t seem to buy into the in-
surgents’ hatred towards us. A
lot of soldiers would donate
stuff to the kids, so that’s a
good side that they [Iraqis] see
of us.
sure on them to leave. Many
of the guys would not even collect their last paychecks because they just had to disappear. The people we worked
with were very sensitive to not
Q: Jay, could you tell us wanting their identities revealed
about your experience with because they would be endanIraqi citizens?
gered.
Jay: That’s hard for me to
tell. Most Americans are on
Q: Rob, are the Iraqis glad
special military camps and un- we are in their country?
less there’s a mission they
Rob: Yes. We had several
don’t have license to just wan- interpreters who told me they
der about [in the country]. were personally glad we were
There are specialized units that there, and there are a lot of
act in civil affairs and their re- other Iraqis who are glad, but
sponsibility is to maintain good you don’t hear about them berelations through civil works cause they can’t say much for
and other projects. Some sol- fear of being targeted. There’s
diers, at least in Balad where I quite a few who are glad we’re
was, volunteered to go out and there and glad that Saddam’s
help out [with civilian affairs]. I been removed. There’s also
didn’t get to see much of Iraqi quite a few who are glad we’re
life as far as leaving the bases. there but think it’s time for us
The children I did see were to leave, time for us to give
very friendly, but the adults them back their country. I’m
more standoffish. The women hoping that through the electypically didn’t look at us, and tions we’ll find out just how
the men were very stern. In my ready they [Iraqis] are. But
office we went through several they’re going to have to pay a
interpreters who would not re- price to have freedom, as
turn, and we later found they we’ve seen in the last few days.
had quit because of threats
A lot of Iraqis are having to
from the insurgents, who would hide their voter registration.
find their families and put pres- They [insurgents] are finding
out who these people [registered voters] are and where
they live. Right now it’s a really scary time for these people;
they want freedom, desperately, and they want to do it the
right way, but yet they’re being threatened because the extremists don’t want democracy.
Iraqi children, proudly showing their new school
supplies, gather around Rob
Q: Did you fear for your
life?
Rob: Yeah. It wasn’t so
much to where I couldn’t function, it was just a matter of having faith in God that I would get
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IRAQ
through and that if I didn’t, my
family would be taken care of.
It was tough for them [family],
but we didn’t really tell each
other too much about our fears.
Especially in Fallujah, when we
first got there, we were passing burning trucks and oil tankers on the way in; it looked like
a graveyard coming in. We had
just missed the ambushes on
the way in and about the first
three weeks we were receiving incoming [shelling] daily. We
couldn’t figure out, at times,
what was incoming and what
was outgoing [U.S. shelling].
The insurgents had also cut off
our re-supply, so we were eating leftovers and drinking
“near-beer” [non-alcoholic
beer] because we’d run out of
water.
Jay: Yes. We were in Anaconda [military base] and we
were lucky because the base
was huge, several square miles,
and sometimes a rocket would
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completely miss. At other times
rockets would strike very near
us. I had some close calls.
Q: How has your visit
been? What was it like returning to MUS and seeing your
former teachers?
Rob: It’s been weird.
Some of the teachers I had
have now passed away—
Coach Griffin and Ms. Warner.
I distinctly remember Coach
Griffin’s speeches to us. It
seems like half the alumni are
still teaching, and it’s special
because the school’s so good
that the teachers stay. Iraq really opened my eyes and made
me realize how blessed we are
over here.
Jay: It’s a good feeling to
come here, unannounced,
twelve years later and still feel
welcome. The old school is
gone, but the faculty and spirit
of the school are still here.
Civic Service Update
tutoring sessions The MUS increased from last year. Durparticipation, except for one ing the fall thirty-one MUS stuThe achievements of this hiccup, has been consistently dents in correlation with
Hutchison volunteered for
year’s Civic Service
PDK 5K and had seven
Organization is difficult
of the top ten finishes.
to say without having
This past Tuesday
completed our two
MUS hosted the 2nd Anlargest events, the Talnual Cultural Cook-off
ent Show and SOS, but
against St. Mary’s. Judgthus far the year has
ing panel consisted of the
been a success, thanks
Rays, the Ryans, Mrs.
to the leadership of
Lazarov, Mrs. Smythe,
executives Garret
Coach T., and the dining
McClintock, Hunter
hall guy John. Last year
Adams, Rob Heflin,
St. Mary’s swept the
Price Edwards, Cody
competition with their cuCurtis, Harry Mayfield,
linary presentation. Even
Worth Morgan, and
though this year MUS
advisor Clay Smythe.
held a numerical advanThe on going tutoring
tage of our five teams
with Kipp Academy
(Redneck, Indian, Cajun,
every other Saturday
Diversity Club president Cody Curtis
and the Emmanuel Cen- shares a moment behind the scenes German, and Redneck 2)
ter every Thursday has
at the cook-out with Civic Service to St. Mary’s two (Asian
been very helpful for the
president Worth Morgan and Italian), St Mary’s
Italian team rounded the
students and faculty of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
each school. For both
BY WORTH MORGAN
MUS: A Lunchroom Legacy
BY WALTER KLYCE
It has come to my attention
that a lot of guys are dissatisfied with the service in the
lunchroom lately; it’s not at all
uncommon to hear complaints
and griping while you’re standing in the lunch line or getting
breakfast. Some of the criticism
is unsupported, and other objections are the inevitable consequences of circumstance;
however, a small number of students have actually started posing serious questions concerning lunchroom procedure and
standards.
We must first set the stage:
Only a few of us are still able
to remember the Campus
Center’s ancient predecessor,
the Clack Dining Hall. The
Clack was cramped, loud, and
generally riotous. Any poor sap
foolish enough to knock over
a chair or spill his food was instantly subject to the swift derision of the entire lunchroom;
though this behavior is still standard practice today, the
whooping was intensified by
the reverberating chambers of
the Clack’s terrible dungeon.
With Mr. Matthews’s policing
and painfully long lines, the
Clack was truly a frightening
place.
Thus, in comparison, the
facilities of the Campus Center are a blessing. Nice, round
tables and soft, sound-absorb-
ing carpet, (the bane of the
lunch room duty), are an oft
overlooked gift for your dining
pleasure. Yet it is still debatable
whether the service itself has
progressed far enough. Breakfast is a wonderful way to start
the morning, but the prices
sometimes seem to hinge on the
whim of your cashier; arranging your food the right way on
your plate can bring down your
fee significantly, as can going to
the right register. Of course, the
breakfast burritos and eggMcBagels are always a treat,
assuming the football players
haven’t already eaten them all.
Nevertheless, lunch itself
will always be the lunchroom’s
priority, as it should be. While
this meal also has its weaknesses—fries range from fantastic to mediocre, shortages of
certain desirables guaranteed
by lower-schoolers, and that
one disagreeable guy—it too is,
overall, a definite success. The
sandwich and salad bars are
consistently sound, cookies
are always available, and Crystal Light just rocks. Even the
servers themselves are congenial, if you have the right attitude. Nowadays, they know
some of us so well that we
don’t even need our U-Cards
anymore, although you’ll have
a hard time convincing Coach
Burr of that.
Thus, I give the lunchroom
an overall great rating. Certain
factors are simply unavoidable;
there will always be long lines
of little kids to slow you down,
as well as a teacher nearby to
holler at you for whatever reason. But these are products of
the situation, not the system.
Sodexho is doing a fine job,
and in the future, maybe we
ought to cut them a little more
slack. Besides, after sleeping,
there’s no better way to break
up the monotony of the school
day than by chowing down on
chips and candy, talking with
your pals, and just relaxing for
thirty minutes. Who knows,
maybe they’ll let us start propping up our feet on the tables
soon. Till then, keep eating and
stay happy.
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Herenton Dynasty Might Need Ousting
BY NOAH FEDER
Mayor Willie W. Herenton
has managed to pull off a lot of
“firsts” in his thirteen years in
office. He is the city’s first
black mayor, the first mayor to
be elected four times, and the
first mayor to bring a pro sports
franchise to Memphis. He has
put more focus on education
than any of his predecessors.
Under his watch, Downtown
has become as popular as it
was in the 1920’s. Despite
these achievements, his record
is certainly not spotless.
Since 1994, the Mayor of
Memphis has been pushing for
some type of consolidation
with the county governments.
In fact, he promised that, by
2004, he would have come up
with brilliant strategies that
would make everyone happy
and ensure a sound economy
for years to come. Now, in
2005, we hear the same line
over and over again. As a citizen of Germantown, I can
firmly say that 99 percent of
Shelby County nonMemphians do not want consolidation. Overall, the county
government is better run, has
more money, and has better
schools. The education question is a big part of the argument: only one county-run high
school did not pass the “No
Child Left Behind” Act standards, while only a few cityrun high schools did pass the
standards. Herenton’s attitude
towards the county government does not help his push for
consolidation. Two years ago
at his New Year’s Prayer
Breakfast, he attacked suburban officials and essentially
declared political war. Last
year, he continued that fight by
quoting a Bible verse in defense of his undiplomatic methods. This use of Scripture is
part of another issue Herenton
has: his mixture of religion and
politics.
Two years ago, shortly after his record third re-election,
Herenton shocked the area by
saying that he was sent the ability to be mayor by God and that
his re-election was a sign of
God’s favor for him. Step back
and think about this statement:
our mayor thinks that he has a
divine right to political office.
His attitude exemplifies the
eroding wall between church
and state. This religious issue
is, however, only a small part
of Willie Herenton’s problems.
Constant feuds within his
own City Council have led to
problems for Herenton as well.
Many city council members
have personal issues with the
Mayor that have led to some
interesting arguments. Last
year, during a heated argument
over pay raises, Mayor
Herenton invited one council
matter to “settle this outside.”
Yes, “Slick Willie” was a boxer
in his younger days, but that is
no excuse for childish personal
attacks with the people who
are needed to do his job. Now
some councilmen are calling for
a recall vote on the mayor.
While some would agree with
recalling the mayor, it is unlikely
that it would succeed since
Herenton has won at least 70%
of the vote at each re-election
(his first election was Florida
2000-level close).On January
27, a new scandal arose. It
turns out that out Mayor, who
is 64 years old and unmarried,
has a four-month-old child
from a “previous relationship.”
It is hard to say how this fact
will affect his ability to govern,
but the scandal has certainly
damaged his reputation and
credibility. Right-wing conservatives are calling for his resignation, and even some of his
fellow Democrats might agree.
With his pointless battle for
consolidation, his endless fights
with his own City Council, his
mixing of religion and politics,
and now his new baby born out
of wedlock, Mayor Willie W.
Herenton has shown that he is
unstable, volatile, stubborn,
and dangerously irresponsible.
Memphis has the potential to
be the premier city of the
South; it’s absurd that Herenton
is holding us back.
to-Differ sing, I knew that I
needed to look no further than
6191 Park Avenue to find my
home. I then took the typical
next steps in the process. I was
toured by then-freshman Gatlin
Hardin and was, like other perspectives, hassled by some of
the other guys. The joking,
though, was all in good fun, and
I continued to believe that
MUS was the perfect fit for
me. I applied, anticipated, and
was finally notified by Mr.
Askew of my acceptance. He
made me feel as though MUS
really wanted me: no matter
when I saw him, he always
called me by name, a feat that
impressed me a great deal. The
school year ended, and before
I knew it, I was saying
goodbye to girls and hello to a
boys’ preparatory school, rich
in history and tradition.
The senior class of 2002
played a large role in my easy
acquaintance with the school.
For those of you who never
knew them, Adam Delconte
and Will Saxton were two of
the funniest guys anyone could
ever hope to meet. They undoubtedly made my transition
into such a new environment
much easier than it should have
been. Every Monday morning
we would listen to announcements about Model UN or
college applications or lunchroom duty, but everyone always knew this pair could be
counted on to add humor to the
chapel experience. Adam, the
Commissioner of Special Activities (currently William Montgomery) would always try his
best to give us an entertaining
game for OP; his creations
“Let’s See Who Can Hit Adam
with a Football from the Farthest Distance” and “Guess
How Much Trash is in Adam’s
Car” provided much-needed
outlandish humor to the student
body after Friday Chapel. Will,
on the other hand, was never
as blatantly funny. He often attempted serious behavior but
would just end up hurting himself. I remember a particular
instance when, running down
the chapel aisle to initiate the
new Student Council Executives, he tried to jump on stage,
missed, and slammed head-on
into the stage. These guys were
truly spectacular and have established a legacy of informing
yet entertaining announcements, an interesting tradition
to spice up an otherwise rou-
tine morning.
Another key tradition in the
MUS community is the willingness of the student council to
provide great activities like pep
rallies and elections. Unlike the
poor spirit pervading our many
counterparts, MUS’s Homecoming atmosphere causes everyone to get fired up: staples
such as the fight song from Mr.
Matthews, 15 Snappy Rahs
from Mr. Haguewood, and the
ever-popular, eloquently designed roll call from our cheerleaders always induce student
enthusiasm and pride. These
events, however, rely almost
exclusively on the council’s efforts, the countless hours
needed to make sure these
events are successful. Who
could forget Mark Scales’s
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A Look Back at High School: Part One
BY WARNER RUSSELL
When my mother approached me in eighth grade to
ask me whether I wanted to
explore other schools besides
White Station, I thought that it
could be interesting to look
around, but for the most part I
knew I would be like all of my
other friends and soon become
a Spartan. I came to the MUS
Open House on October 29,
2000, and what happened that
day was nothing short of perfect. William Pegg and former
All-American lacrosse player
Trevor Knight showed me,
through an ordinary tour, a bit
of what makes this place special. Their presentation made
me want MUS more than anything else. After talking to faculty members and hearing Beg-
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National Honor Society Must Reform
BY PRICE EDWARDS
Ah, National Honor Society (NHS), one of the many
accolades that MUS can
shower upon its budding student-leaders who have done
their work shifting paradigms,
building skill-sets, sharpening
the saw, and generally stretching their comfort zones through
proactive synergy. NHS is a
National program started in
1921 and it still honors juniors
and seniors of distinction to this
day. The NHS website says the
purpose of the society is to
“serve to honor those students
who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and
Character.” MUS is one of
many high-schools to participate in this program.
MUS, along with some
other schools, feels compelled
to distinguish itself from everyone else. At most schools, everyone who is qualified may be
inducted into the group, but
MUS restricts the number of
recipients of this award. I know
that MUS is not like other
schools and should stand out,
but why put restrictions on this
national society? When a college looks at a transcript that
seems solid but the student was
not inducted into NHS, something probably seems strange,
but the only strange thing is that
MUS feels the need to somehow justify itself by amping the
standards. If MUS wants an
exclusive club for the select
few, then they can form one like
Red and Blue or some other
school-based honor, but in-
I agree that thirty people
stead they tamper with an almay be a legitimate number of
ready established program.
Well, by now you can prob- inductees for some years, but
ably tell that I, myself, did not on other years, many worthy
make it into NHS last year, candidates are excluded. Is it
and I certainly might not this fair that a member of a very acyear. This article is not some tive grade be punished? I love
type of protest or just a chance my grade, but being in the secfor me to complain. I’m writ- ond quintile with a 4.1 can be
ing this because I see many frustrating to a college-applyqualified students that do not ing senior. My grade has a surplus
get
o f
into
motithis
“I know that MUS is not like other
vated
soschools and should stand out, but why
stuciput restrictions on this national society?”
ety
dents
(or at
because there are too many wor- least had as of last year), and
thy students. Also, most who nearly everyone is involved in
do not make it are not even some activity. The competition
treated to an explanation or told for the NHS is very close and
how they can improve for next a lot can depend on a teacher
recommendation or which reyear.
viewer looks at your application. These small advantages
sometimes distinguish between
the haves and have-nots.
Honor societies are a great
way to honor those who have
contributed to this school and
community. My advice to those
angry about not getting in is to
put your loss into perspective.
I admit that I was angry last
year, but I realized that I had
much better uses for my time
than dwelling in the past. After
seeing Iraqis killed because
they were trying to vote and a
tsunami wiping out the existences of more that one-hundred
thousand people, a little disappointment seems a little smaller
doesn’t it?
Maintain the Status Quo
requirement, a minimum GPA
of 3.5, are invited to write esHonor. If you were to look says regarding their involvein a dictionary, you might find ment, leadership, and service
a definition such as “evidence at school and in the Memphis
of symbol of distinction; an ex- community. Based upon their
alted title or rank.” The Na- responses, the faculty selection
tional Honor Society is an or- committee decides which of the
ganization created to honor the candidates are most worthy of
most outstanding students of a induction.
Unfortunately, at MUS
school, and each spring, our
there
school
is a
chap“MUS is an institution full of unique
quota
ter intraditions,
and
we
need
not
imitate
those
as to
ducts
around us.”
how
twenty
many
t o
people
thirty
students into the distinguished may be inducted from any
society. The four virtues of the grade in a given year. Those
National Honor Society are who do not make the cut in their
scholarship, character, leader- junior year may be asked to
ship, and service. Juniors and compete once again in their seseniors who meet the academic nior year. Perhaps this seems
BY ALEX CHINN
unfair to many of our classmates who have the grades to
meet the only objective requirement and have been very active in school life, but nevertheless were not called at the induction ceremony. After all,
most other schools that have
NHS chapters have fairly open
induction policies. Everyone
who has the grades, is fairly
involved in school and community, and appears to have no
huge character flaws is automatically welcomed into the
club, with no limits imposed
upon membership. You may
point to St. Mary’s and say that
a very large portion of their students are inducted; why isn’t
the same true for us?
Well, I can’t give a perfect
answer, but to the question of
why we don’t follow the
crowd, suffice it to say that
MUS is an institution full of
unique traditions, and we need
not imitate those around us. As
for fairness, well, life is not always fair. But these issues
aside, I think that there is a
much larger question at stake.
One of the great MUS traditions is the expectation of excellence from our students.
That expectation comes not
only from those involved with
the school, but also from many
people in our larger community.
All of us are expected to be the
best we can. So, where does
that leave our honor societies?
Well, if all of us are expected
to maintain high grades and to
be involved with our peers in
extra-curricular activities, then
simply doing these things is not
enough. After all, remember
our definition of honor: it is
something that distinguishes a
person from his peers. If our
NHS chapter were to abolish
its quota, I project that at least
half of each class would be inducted before graduation. This,
of course, is absurd. If the point
is to give the most outstanding
students a distinction, then the
number of inductees should be
kept relatively small, as it is
now. Otherwise, there is no
honor. We would not be truly
lauding our most accomplished
and distinguished students. If
everyone is a member, then induction loses any meaning. Our
school’s stringent requirements
must be kept to ensure that
true merit is recognized.
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EA Monopoly
BY SASHANK KARRI
Electronic Arts, the world’s
largest software developer and
publisher, has recently made
moves detrimental to the development of the videogame
market. In a move that competing developer and publisher
Ubisoft called hostile, EA purchased 19.9% of the rival
company’s stock, effectively
making it the second largest
shareholder of the company
behind the founders who own
22.8% of the company. Reasons for this investment can be
explained by the many appealing and lucrative franchises
Ubisoft controls: the Tom
Clancy shooters, Prince of Persia, and Rayman. In a market
dominated by franchises (just
look at last issue’s Best Games
of 2004 list), EA plans to buy
as many as it can instead of
creating new ones. Also, EA’s
now large voice in
Ubisoft may hamper Ubisoft’s creation of new franchises and innovative gameplay.
This past year,
Take-Two announced that its
ESPN branded
sports
games
would sell for $20 in order to
truly compete with EA Sports’
domination of the market. This
move led EA to lower its prices
as well in order to compete.
Although Madden 2005 outsold ESPN 2K5, Electronic
Arts signed an exclusive fiveyear deal with the NFL at the
first hint of real competition
from ESPN. We should expect
the price of EA’s next football
game to return to $50 for at
least the next five years. Foot-
ball fans will also probably be
forced to play the same football game with updated rosters
ever year. With no competition,
EA football games will probably feature very few innovations. EA tried to make a similar deal with the NBA but failed.
Furthermore, ESPN agreed to
allow EA exclusive use of its
name and announcers with all
of its sports games for the next
fifteen years, a deal previously
held by Take-Two’s 2K series.
Take-Two responded to these
recent deals by making its own
exclusive deal with MLB.
However, this deal still allows
Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft
for its own console. In fact,
Nintendo has already made
plans to release one for the
Gamecube.
EA has also treated its employees unfairly. In the months
leading to the release of a
game, EA has forced its programmers and
game designers to
work 60-80 hour
per week in an Office Space-like environment. This has
led to a high turnover rate in its studios as well as an
unhealthy environment in the industry. The advent of unions in this
industry is now inevitable.
Instead of focusing on making better and more original
games, EA has decided to invest in eliminating competition
and buying big-name franchises. This is a sorry turn of
events for the casual fan of
sports games as well as the
avid gamer. Look forward to
playing essentially the same
games repeatedly throughout
the next decade.
Million Dollar Baby:
Oscar Hopeful
BY PRESTON BATTLE AND
ANDREW ROBINSON
BY PETER ZANCA
Throughout the history of American film,
boxing has served as
one of the greatest mediums for stories about
underdogs, second
chances, and tragedy.
Million Dollar Baby,
Clint Eastwood’s latest
directorial success, embodies
all of these themes. As can be
told from Baby’s seven Academy Award nominations, this
film flourishes with a terrific
combination of incredible acting, fine writing, and wellcrafted filmmaking in general.
Eastwood joins Hilary
Swank and Morgan Freeman
to create one of the best acting
teams possible in today’s Hollywood. Building on an enormous pool of talent is the fact
that the characters are perfect
for each actor’s individual style.
Eastwood, the essential loner
tough-guy, plays a down-onhis-luck trainer who is constantly haunted by the skeletons of his past. Swank does
an excellent job as a lateblooming boxing wannabe who
simply needs her chance. Freeman slides into the role of
Eastwood’s former fighter and
longtime friend. Freeman’s part
is right up his alley as his character is the narrator of the story.
These three carry the load for
the entire film as they take up
nearly all of the screen time.
However, with this quality acting, that is no problem at all.
Baby’s style is fairly consistent with Eastwood’s latest
work, Mystic River. There is
nothing flashy about the film,
The
Arcade
Photo Courtesy of
Movies.yahoo.com
even the boxing scenes.
Whereas some directors might
have chosen to spice up the
fights, Eastwood portrays them
with respect and simplicity. Of
course, there is more to the film
than boxing. Paul Haggis’s adaptation of F.X. Toole’s book
Rope Burns is a great display
of realistic dialogue and motivation. However, what is truly
exceptional in this film is the development of Eastwood and
Swank’s characters. Haggis
displays both characters’
strengths and weaknesses
beautifully. Finally, the story
combines some of the best
themes inAmerican filmmaking:
the underdog, a second chance
at one’s dream, and tragedy.
With Oscar season rolling
around, watch out for Million
Dollar Baby to make a splash.
Eastwood is the favorite to win
Best Director, and either
Eastwood or Swank could take
a trophy home for acting. Also,
Freeman and Haggis are nominated in very close races for
Best Supporting Actor and
Adapted Screenplay, respectively. Finally, Baby will compete with The Aviator, Ray,
Sideways, and Finding
Neverland for the night’s biggest honor, Best Picture.
This week Andrew and I
decided to review The Arcade
Restaurant, Memphis’ oldest
café and a landmark located
downtown near the Civil Rights
Museum and Ernestine and
Hazel’s. The food is wonderful with incredible milkshakes
and hand-tossed pizza. The
ambiance is familiar as the restaurant has an authentic
“diner” feel to it, and the folks
inside will make you feel right
at home. Also, the music was
to our liking as was the agreeable service. My colleague and
I split a 16" pizza, half pepperoni and half Main Street
Trolley (We recommend it),
and enjoyed two of the best
milkshakes in the world. Adding to the experience was the
fact that the Arcade has also
been in such films as Great
Balls of Fire and 21 Grams,
to name a few. After picking
up the reasonable tab of about
twenty-five bucks, we called
it a day. So if you’re downtown, make sure you stop by
the Arcade for breakfast,
lunch, dinner, or just a bite of
Memphis history. The Arcade
is located on 540 S. Main St.
Andrew’s rating: 5 of 5 buzzards:
Preston’s rating: 5 of 5 buzzards.
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Over and Over Again
BY BLAKE COWAN
I vividly remember that precious minute back in First
Quarter when my life was
changed: I was simply listening to my radio without a care
in the world, when suddenly a
new song burst onto the air
waves and instantly gave my
life significance. Many of you
may ask, “What is this visionary song of hope?” Well, it is
none other than the offspring of
Tim McGraw and Nelly’s fusion of styles, “Over and Over
Again.”
Tim McGraw and Nelly
have formed a new-age duo
reminiscent of the pioneers
Lewis and Clark. Unlike Clark
and Lewis though, McGraw
and Nelly have left something
behind that future generations
can actually enjoy. Brilliant lyrics such as “think about it over
and over/ again I replay it over
and over again/and I can’t take
it yeah I can’t shake it” permeate throughout the song as
guidelines for living. Also, the
two men’s voices mesh as eloquently as, and possibly better
than, Mozart’s 40th symphony
Siddhartha
and a spring day. I tear up every time I hear country star Tim
McGraw belt out the heart
throbbing lyrics, “I can’t go on
not loving you,” which is followed perfectly by Nelly’s
emphatic and climactic “No…
oh you.” I would also like to
applaud Tim and Nel’s bravery for crossing over to that
tender section between the
Rap and Country styles of music. For a while now, these
feuding styles of music have
had a battle of Civil War proportions. Thanks to McGraw
and Nelly’s extending the meta-
phorical olive branch, this war
can finally end with the entire
civilized world being the winners. Hopefully, McGraw and
Nelly can continue to bless humanity with their soulful harmony and profound lyrics. In
conclusion, if anyone is now
stimulated by the thought of listening to this great song, I encourage him to turn the dial to
basically any station in Memphis and feast his ears on a great
work in American popular culture.
All Roads Lead to Rome
control of Rome.
The overall campaign map,
unlike in any other turn-based
Creative Assembly’s Total
strategy game, is rendered in
War series (Shogun and Me3D rather than looking like a
dieval) was widely regarded as
board game, with geographic
the best set of strategy games
features such as mountains havavailable. The Total War
ing great strategic importance.
games combine a turn-based
The map is divided into numercampaign similar to the camous provinces, each of which
paigns in Sid Meyer’s Civilicontains a capital city. Posseszation series with large-scale
sion of the capital determines
real time battles. The third game
ownership of the province and
in this series, Rome: Total
its resources, so much of the
War, has surpassed the high
game focuses on capturing and
expectations placed on it by
defending cities. To capture a
fans of the series.
city, you can either wait a few
The game’s main campaign
turns and starve it
centers on mid- to
out (but the forces
late Republican
besieging the city
Rome. You are given
risk attack by anthe choice of comother army), or
manding one of
build siege mathree Roman facchines such as rams
tions, the Julii (based
and siege towers
north of Rome, and
and assault the city.
chiefly concerned
Once inside the city
with fighting the
walls, your objecGauls), the Brutii
tive is to capture
(based southeast of
and hold the city
Rome, and conPhoto Courtesy of Activision
Rome
offers
extensive
battlefield
control
center. City battles
cerned with conBY PARTH SHETH
quering Greece), and the Scipii
(based in Southern Italy and on
Sicily, and concerned with destroying Carthage). All three
factions are initially allied with
each other and with another
(non-playable) faction, the
SPQR (Senatus Populusque
Romanus). The SPQR faction
controls Rome and issues commands from the Senate to each
of the three other factions. As
the game progresses and each
of the factions grows stronger,
the Julii, Brutii, and Scipii will
eventually come into conflict
with each other for supreme
provide some of the most exciting and tense moments of the
game, as control of the city can
change several times before the
battle is resolved.
Each faction is controlled
by its family members, and
Rome, more than the other
games in the series, emphasizes
your faction’s family members
as generals and brides-to-be.
Male family members are given
different attributes (military
command, civic management,
and influence) which can evolve
over time based on that
character’s experience. Developing your family members’
skills is crucial, as each of your
settlements requires a governor
who must be from your family,
and armies led by family members with strong military command attributes are far stronger than otherwise equal armies
led by a mere captain.
While the overall map and
family management provide the
backbone of the game, Rome’s
individual tactical battles are
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
BY JOHN TAYLOR
Hermann Hesse’s novel
Siddhartha chronicles the
spiritual journey of Siddhartha
from childhood until death.
Siddhartha’s search for understanding and happiness is fruitless as he travels the country
and finds new religions and
teachers. He lives in the forest
until early adulthood with a
group of ascetic shramanas,
denying himself any pleasures
or excesses. He later spends
several years as a wealthy businessman but finds that the
decadent lifestyle has led to the
decay of his spirit. In the end,
Siddhartha finds that he has
been trying too hard for his
goal. As he says, “When someone seeks it can easily happen
that his eyes only see the thing
he is seeking and that he is incapable of finding anything, incapable of taking anything in,
because he is always thinking
only of what he is seeking, because he has an object, a goal,
because he is possessed by this
goal. Seeking means having a
goal, but finding means being
free, open, having no goal…for
in striving after your goal, there
is much you fail to see that is
right before your eyes.” Put
that in your pipe and smoke it.
As I read this book, I was
forced to reassess my own beliefs and values of trivial things.
It helped me to relax and to allow things to take place without the additional stress. Any
MUS student constantly worrying over grades or feeling the
college pressure might want to
take a break and read this enlightening book that follows
Coach Taylor’s line of advice:
“Think good thoughts, and let
things happen.”
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The Current State of Affairs at MUS:
BY DAVID MINERVINI
Thunder. Glory. All these
brought to you by your friends
in the publications office. For
those of you who remember, a
few weeks ago I put together
an article. This article featured
the biased and entertaining
opinions of a few of MUS’s finest students. The faculty now
offers its biased and entertaining rebuttal. In the spirit of good
fun, I offer a few faculty members the forum. (But not before
having my dear friend Jon-
Michael Jones photoshop their
faces onto a ridiculous picture
of the Village People.) With
that said, please read and enjoy the answers, opinions, and
stories of our favorite faculty
members.
CLAY SMYTHE, ESQ.
Q1: It was real funny--my disc blew out in my neck, and I was in severe pain for weeks. When
I came out of surgery, I was just enough under the influence to have some chutzpah, so I asked
the orderly why my neck hurt so badly when all I asked for was a sex change.
Counterclockwise: Clifft, Murphy, Doc, Ray, Smythe
Q1: Now that the dust of exams has settled, the MUS
community rumbles on into
the second semester without
missing a beat. Looking
back, what was the most
amusing or interesting thing
that happened to you last semester at MUS?
Q2: Other than myself, who
is your favorite MUS student
and why?
Q3: When you are not here
at MUS on the clock, do you
have fun? If so, what do you
do for fun?
Q4: I’ll assume that you
were young at some point. In
your youth, what did you
want to be when you grew
up? If your answer is not “a
member of the MUS faculty,”
how and why did you come
here?
Q5: Using only book/novel
titles or quotations from literature or music, please describe your world as an
MUS faculty member.
Smythe Q6: Clay, please
give us your personal predictions for the Super Bowl.
Clifft Q6: I did a bit of research, and apparently the
MUS Knowledge Masters
Squad defeated rival
Brentwood by over 200
points this year. To what do
you attribute this splendid triumph?
Doc Q6: Doc... We all know
how much you like cats.
Based upon your extensive
research and knowledge of
the subject matter, exactly
how many ways are there to
skin a cat?
Murphy Q6: Word on the
street is that you are not human. I’ve even heard that
“Murphy” is the name of a
low-orbit spy satellite that
hears sees everything that an
MUS student says or does.
Apparently this spy satellite
also has the ability to read
minds. Would you please address these statements?
Ray Q6: I’ve noticed that
after Zane Haykal mentioned
the lack of a certain “power
‘stache,” you returned to
school sporting some new facial hair. Do you have any
words for Zane?
Q2: Chris Freeman: He’s huge and he demonstrates an uncanny ability to present the author’s
intent.
Noah Feder: ditto
Q3: Genesis 2:25.
Q4: I wanted to stay in Memphis, and I loved my family’s cemetery and funeral business, so I
began a 10-year career there that resulted in the business’ sale and opened up the door for me
to pursue what really was a life-long dream of being in education. A lot of my family had been
teachers at one point.
Q5: Hamlet’s “Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment” and Sir Gary Coleman’s
“What you talkin’ ‘bout Willis?”
Q6: New England Patriots: 28 | Philadelphia Eagles: 17
“WHAT’S UP” DOC WINFREY
Q1: Lying in bed at my apartment with a bad sinus infection listening to the MUS football team
on the radio as they won the State Championship. I wasn’t much good for anything else that
night but petting my dog and listening to the game. It was nothing strange--lights out, game on.
Q2: There are so many students here that I do like, it would be hard to say. I’d even be hardpressed to name the students I don’t like.
Q3: I pet my dog Bubba, aka Buddha, enjoy movies, plays, and music at clubs occasionally,
travel, read, cook, do physical training, and laugh for fun.
Q4: I guess I wanted to be a teacher of history since the 8th grade, My elementary school
principal and 8th grade history teacher was a great story teller. He was also the Democratic
whip in the State House. Wonderful man. I came here because I got into a little trouble with the
law and the judge gave me the option of going to Vietnam or teaching here. Is that right? It’s
been so long ago.
Q5: “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf, or “Get a Haircut and Get a Real Job” by George
Thorogood.
Q6: Two ways: a) outside in b) inside out.
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The Faculty Speaks
WARDEN MURPHY
THE INCREDIBLE MR. CLIFFT
Q1: I became the disciplinarian for approximately 440 boys.
Q1: I had a student ask to borrow some batteries for his
calculator; he said it had “died” on him. We were just about
to start a test when he asked this of me. I said, “Let me have
a look at it.” I took a quick glance at it and said, “It’s a solar
calculator. If you take it out of your pocket and get it some
sun it might work.” Hilarity ensued.
Q2: A good disciplinarian can have no favorite student; I’ve got to be ready to give eternal
lunchroom duty to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Q3: I enjoy physical training in the off-hours. I’ve got to be able to catch cars exceeding the 15
m.p.h. Campus speed limit; I’ve got to be able to jump the perimeter fence and chase down
guys sneaking off to the Park Place Mall. I’ve got to be able to walk fast enough to give the
student body the perception that I am everywhere simultaneously.
Q4: I always wanted to play pro football as a kid and for some reason was not select by the
draft upon my graduation from college. I came to MUS to study Coach Triple G Rogers’
moves with the hopes that one day I might be a “School Linebacker”
and combine my two loves, football and discipline.
Q5: My world as a disciplinarian could best be described with the Led Zeppelin title “Dazed
and Confused.” The novels which have influenced my style of discipline the most are 1984 and
Brave New World.
Q6: If I had a nickel for each time that I’ve heard that I’d be a wealthy man. The hear-all, seeall, mind-reading capability is not the product of satellites but is achieved through nano-technology. Upon entering MUS, students unknowingly have a microchip implanted at the base of
their necks. This chip sends out all kinds of pertinent data such as the location of the student on
campus, what the student is thinking or feeling, the student’s temperature, the student’s shoe
size, etc. I have requested that an extra monitoring station be placed in the guard shack so that
the chip will spontaneously and violently combust upon the exit of any senior who leaves campus without checking out for lunch. I just want to stay on the cutting edge of discipline and
technology.
BARRY “GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME” RAY
Q1: Nothing really interesting or amusing--just a lot of work. As usual, I enjoyed watching our
guys perform on the athletic fields and on stage.
Q2: I don’t really have just one favorite. I like any student who works hard and succeeds
regardless of limitations. I respect hard work much more than ability. When a student overcomes--that is truly special.
Q3: Of course I have fun. I love to travel (with my wife). We’ve had many opportunities to see
many places in the U.S. and the world. I really like photography when we travel.
Q4: Most of my life I wanted to be a pilot. With bad eyes, the Air Force Academy was out. As
a senior at Sewanee, I was asked if I might be interested in teaching and coaching at a boy’s
school in Memphis. I interviewed and I’m still here 27 years later.
Q5: 1) It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World. 2) The Replacements
3) Friday Night Lights 4) Gone with the Wind
Q6: No words needed. Zane gets a reminder everyday in Period 2 U.S. History. It was interesting to see him squirm that first class back
Q2: As a parent, I know how important is to NOT play
favorites. So, I won’t do that here. So I tell my students: “I
hate all of you equally.” I could no more pick Jesse Robinson
because of the impeccable fashion advice he gives me, Rainer
and Rayner because of the migraines they give me, Sloan
because of the excuses he gives me, or Zach Rutland because he bribes me with jelly doughnuts. They are all my
“special” boys.
Q3: For fun I like to hang out with my family; my kids love
doing Cub Scout activities, watching movies, going to the
zoo, etc. But when I have “alone” time, I like to just sit in my
home office surrounded by my Incredible Hulk toys, read
some comic books, and reflect on my own wild and crazy
days in high school. You know, I was the Band President in
high school. Wait, that doesn’t sound pathetic, does it?
Q4: True story. First day of classes at the University of Memphis and I am sitting in the counselor’s office. She asks me
what major I might like to declare while I’m there. I said,
“Well, I see you have a medical technology program in conjunction with St. Francis hospital; I think I would like to try
that.” She says, “Oh yeah! That’s a great program; we just
canceled it. What else would you like to do?” “I dunno. I
guess I was good at math in high school...” Sixteen years
later and here I am.
Q5: My world at M.U.S. is an “Amazing Fantasy” filled
with faculty that fit the mold of “Wonder Woman” and “Superman;” a veritable “All-Star Squadron” of talent (if you
will). These guys are “Invincible.” The administration is a
“Fantastic Four.” We even have the “Punisher” on staff. I,
myself, don’t really like being put in the position of being a
“Defender” or “Avenger,” but if that’s what the job calls for,
then it’s better than being a “Powerpuff Girl.” My classes are
filled with an eclectic bunch: some are “Teen Titans,” some
are “New Mutants,” and occasionally you get a “Jughead.” I
enjoy being a teacher; it’s one of those “Noble Causes.”
Q6: We beat out Brentwood and other teams across the
state because we “have the skills to pay the bills.” When you
have the twin towers of trivia, Freeman and Feder, along
with the rest of the posse, there’s just no stopping us, baby!
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Nascar Speeds Into the New Year
BY MATT SIGHTS
Anyone can look at a calendar and tell you that we have
recently begun a new year. But
for millions of people across
the country, the New Year will
not officially start until February 20, when the 2005
NASCAR Nextel Cup kicks
off with the Daytona 500. For
those of you unfamiliar with
NASCAR, which would include a large majority of the
MUS population, the Nextel
cup is the premiere league, and
the Daytona 500 is its Super
Bowl. The Nextel Cup, which
was formerly the Winston Cup,
has been home for some of the
greatest names in NASCAR
history. The list of drivers includes Richard Petty, Dale
Earnhardt, and the 2001 points
champion and driver of the #18
Interstate Batteries Chevy
Monte Carlo Bobby Labonte.
As far as the Daytona 500
is concerned, it is the most an-
and anyone else
ticipated race
within 400 points
of every year.
of the leader are
It ushers in the
narrowed down to
new season in
within a few points
an exciting
of each other. They
race on one of
are the only drivers
N A S C A R ’s
left in contention for
fastest tracks.
the championship,
Daytona has a
but everyone else
long, proud
competes in the
history of havPhoto Courtesy of AP
races anyway. I do
ing great races.
The Daytona 500 is one of the most exciting
The incident
races of the Nascar Season. not like the system
because it takes
that stands out
away the motivation for drivthe most in the race’s recent
memory, however, was any- and to this day he probably sells ers who, although they may not
thing but great. In the 2001 more merchandise than anyone be able to win, do have the opportunity to gain positions in
race, Dale Earnhardt’s life was else.
However,
this
season
will
be
the standings and finish out the
taken as he hit the wall in turn
as
exciting
as
ever
to
watch.
It
year strongly. Last year, the
four trying to protect his son’s
position. It was one of the sad- will be the second year under championship went to Kurt
dest days in NASCAR his- what started out as a quite con- Busch, and this season promtory. Earnhardt was a fan fa- troversial points system. Per- ises to be highly contested as
vorite and arguably the great- sonally, I do not like it very well. With perennial powerest driver in NASCAR history. much. The system was de- houses such as Bobby
He was tied with Richard signed to make the end of the Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Dale
Petty for the most champion- season exciting. With ten races Earnhardt Jr., and, yes, even
ships with seven. He is still one left in the season, the top ten Jeff Gordon as much (as I hate
of the most popular drivers, drivers in the points standings to admit it), this year will be fun
to watch. Fans should also be
on the lookout for rising stars
such as Kasey Kahne and
Jamie McMurray.
Now, to the naysayer who
says that NASCAR isn’t a
sport, the one who says that
anybody can sit in a car and
make left turns all day and that
NASCAR drivers don’t have
to be in good shape I say this:
When you can control an 800
horsepower car running at
speeds of over 200 miles per
hour with a concrete wall
inches from you on your right
and another car inches from
you on your left for 500 miles
at track temperatures that can
reach over 120 degrees, come
talk to me.
Finally, I want to say that I
hope that everyone else out
there will be as excited as I will
be on February 20 when the
four most famous words in all
of motor sports kick off the
New Year: Gentlemen, start
your engines!
attempts. The NBA has also because of the brawl at Auburn
been in the national spotlight Hills in mid-November. However, there have been many
more positives that have outweighed that event. The emergence of the Phoenix Suns, the
comeback of a healthy Grant
of relief. The Grizzlies are now
26-20, a record which puts
them one game ahead of last
year’s mark at this time (2521). So, here are my
midseason awards and All-Star
predictions...
A Look at the NBA Midseason
BY JOHN HAMMONS
The first half of the
NBA has been one of
the most entertaining in
the past few years. One
of the major factors is
the increased scoring
average. Eight of the
thirty NBA teams are
averaging 100+ points
a game. One of the factors that has led to this
increase in scoring is the
new rule of the handcheck foul. This statute
allows teams to get in
the bonus situation earlier in the game, producing more free throw
Photo Courtesy of AP
Grant Hill is John’s Midseason
Comeback Player of the Year
Hill, and the impressive talent
of the best all-around player in
the league, Lebron James.
Lastly, the late run of the Grizzlies into 6th place in the Western Conference has made everyone in Memphis feel a sense
Midseason MVP- Steve Nash
Midseason Defensive Player- Tim Duncan
Midseason Rookie of the Year- Emeka Okafor
Midseason Comeback Player of the Year- Grant Hill
Midseason Coach of the Year- Mike D’Antoni
All Star Game:
Western Conference Starting 5:
Eastern Conference Starting 5:
Steve Nash
Dwayne Wade
Ray Allen
Allen Iverson
Kevin Garnett
Lebron James
Tim Duncan
Jermaine O’Neal
Amare Stoudamire
Shaquille O’Neal
F
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Lacrosse
Keys to The Super Bowl
BY AARON STRUMINGER
Round. As before, almost everything went as expected. In
After a frantic regular sea- the first and most intense game,
son, many had high hopes for the Pittsburgh Steelers, aided
a thrilling NFL playoff lineup. by the Jet’s poor kicking by
However, the postseason, be- Doug Brian, came through in
ing nearly finished, has done the clutch despite the play of
little to impress fans. Where are rookie Ben Roethlisberger’s.
the upsets, the drama, and the Later that day, the Atlanta Falnail biters? Only three games cons, led by the new “Greatwere even close, and the teams est Show on Turf” Michael
that were expected to win their Vick and a powerful defense,
conferences came out victori- absolutely destroyed the Rams.
ous. Wild Card Weekend pro- On Sunday, though, the games
vided some measure of excite- were disappointing: Philadelment with the erratic St. Louis phia utterly destroyed MinneRams having a great game and sota, and in the most anticibeating the Seahawks with a pated match-up, Indianapolis
touchdown in the final minutes. vs. New England, the Patriots
Another good game occurred defense kept Peyton Manning
and the rest of the
SaturColts offense ind a y
check.
when
The Conference
rookie
Championship also
Nick
left much to be deKaeding
sired. In the bitter
missed
cold, blowout games
a field
were abundant. In
goal in
the NFC Championovership Game, the
time,
Eagles defense conallowtained Michael Vick,
ing the
who looked less than
Jets to
his best because of
come
Photo Courtesy of AP
the wind, the team’s
b a c k Donavan
McNabb will prove
d o w n instrumental to the Eagles’ offense providing
the field
success enough spark to
bring home a comto win.
On Wild Card Sunday, India- fortable victory. In the AFC
napolis and their potent offense Championship Game, the Paabsolutely picked apart the triots Defense absolutely manDenver defense. In the last wild handled Ben Roethlisberger
card game, in the final playoff and the Steelers running attack
game and the only real upset for the first three quarters. The
of the postseason so far, the Patriots offense made viewers
Minnesota Vikings and Randy question how the Steelers had
Moss with his controversial stopped anybody earlier in the
“moon dance” beat the Green season, and they propelled the
Bay Packers and the ageless Patriots to victory in a game
that was not even close.
Brett Favre.
Then came the Divisional
BY ZACH MATTHEWS
KEYS TO SUPER BOWL XXXIX
New England Offense vs. Philadelphia Defense
Patriots- Don’t forget the running game.
If the Patriots can run the football against the Philadelphia
defense, they will win the game. They will take pressure off of
Tom Brady and let him have time in the pocket in order to
find his receivers. With new running back Corey Dillon, the
Patriots are not the same team that they have been for the last
three years because they should be a predominantly running
team.
Eagles- Control Underrated Wide Receivers.
With their blitzing defense, the Eagles rely on a young secondary that is very good. They seem to match-up well manto man with the Patriots receivers, who are not very fast but
are great route runners. In order to control Tom Brady, you
have to control the short routes often preferred by Patriot
receivers.
Philadelphia Offense vs. New England Defense
Patriots- Keep McNabb in the Pocket.
The Patriots have not faced a mobile quarterback since they
played the Eagles two years ago. The only semi-mobile quarterback that they played was Ben Roethlisberger in Week
Eight (remember Roethlisberger broke his toes in the Conference Championship). In that game, Roethlisberger rolled
out many times in order to find open receivers down the field.
If McNabb gets out of the pocket, the Patriots will be in serious trouble.
Eagles- Tight Ends Must Step Up.
With the loss of TE Chad Lewis, the unlikelihood of Terrell
Owens playing, and the abysmal quality of the Eagles other
wide receivers, someone has to fill the void. This person has
to be L.J. Smith, the Eagles back-up tight end. Also, the other
tight end, Jeff Thomason (a construction worker who hasn’t
played football in two years) will have to be able to fill in for
about fifteen plays in which the Eagles will have a two-TE set.
If the tight ends step up, the Philadelphia offense with McNabb
and Westbrook will roll.
Prediction: The Eagles defense will contain Tom Brady, and
the Patriots will control Westbrook. The key to the game is
Donavan McNabb’s legs, and he will make a few big plays to
win the game for the Eagles.
Score: Eagles 17
Patriots 14
The door slammed with a
resounding thud. Then there
was complete silence, and time
stood still. No one looked up:
for the next five minutes not
even a breath was heard. Finally, Coach Dent whispered,
“I don’t know what to say….”
They had lost-quite possibly the
most talented lacrosse team in
MUS history had just lost.
That championship game
served as a wake-up call for
this year’s varsity team.
They’ve worked hard over the
last month with Dent’s latest
experiment; “Navy Seal” training; and have truly grown as a
group. Led by captains Jimbo
Rainer, Dan Gibson, and Sam
Sawyer, along with seniors
Cooper Hopkins, Rayner
Turley, Josh Hall, Randall Noel,
‘Bubba’ Scales, John Daniel,
and Ethan Knight, the lacrosse
program promises to be an unstoppable force. Furthermore,
speed-demon Rob Heflin has
recently become an incredible
addition to the team.
As the rest of the MUS
community will most likely be
spending Spring Break at some
high-end beach resort, the lacrosse guys must endure a 15hour bus ride through the night,
arriving at Disney’s Wide
World of Sports Complex the
following morning, immediately having to suit up and go
play some of the top programs
in the nation.
The road ahead will be long
and hard for these young men.
But they now have the leadership, talent, and heart to make
that journey. High expectations
are riding on this team. This
time they’re a little less hopeful
and a lot more determined.
P
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t h e
BAREFOOT
have gone more smoothly, and
we finished staging all of the
scenes before Christmas
break. I was slightly nervous
that we were getting behind in
the rehearsal process, but when
we returned from the break, I
realized we were actually
ahead of schedule. As the actors focused on memorizing
their lines, we all explored the
motives of the characters’ actions and carefully broke the
play down into the emotional
stages that each character experiences. One of the most difficult scenes was a lengthy
argumentbetween Corie and
Paul ending in an agreement to
divorce . Both David and
Elspeth spent hours understanding the scene line by line
and getting into character, skills
necessary for excellent theatre.
In addition to discovering
the inner workings of Neil
Simon’s characters, I quickly
found that comedy is challenging: it is all about timing and
LOOK BACK
great attempt at being Chris
Farley/Jimmy Dean last year?
The Student Council takes also
it upon themselves to have a
formal changing of the guards.
Student Council speeches at
election time are by far the most
memorable events of the year.
Whether swallowing a live
goldfish, bringing in a Memphis
basketball player, or publicly
humiliating oneself by wetting
one’s pants, these speeches
are always controversial, but
always hilarious. Every year,
the faculty seems to get a little
cross about these speeches,
but it really is tradition to have
them be slightly upsetting. No
matter how funny or disastrous
they may be, everyone always
remembers them. Personally, I
H E
O
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b a c k
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
takes talented actors to pull it
off. Luckily, I had the help of
six talented actors who
achieved Simon’s humor wonderfully.
The show was a success
with three nights of a highly receptive and responsive audience. The set turned out beautifully with furniture from Pier
One, friends’ attics, and my
own living room. I am so proud
of the actors and the stage
crew who put in so much work
to make this show possible.
I had no idea how much I
could learn from directing a
show like this. It has helped me
work on my communication
skills and mature as an actor.
Having spent my whole life on
the acting aspect of theatre, I
found it fascinating to be placed
on the opposite side, directing
the actors. I think the show was
certainly a success and hope
the audience had as much fun
watching the show as I did putting it together.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
would love to hear Kyle Fong
impersonate the Saturday
Night Live Super Fans again.
I came to MUS to be involved with tradition, and it is
absolutely true that MUS has
built itself on a tradition of excellence. Whether the traditions are ones of academics,
jocularity, or pride, these practices will carry our school into
the future. I am confident that,
when our kids attend this
school, many of the same rituals will be had and their experiences will be just as enjoyable and memorable as ours.
The traditions of MUS have
made my high school career
one that I will continue to cherish throughout my future.
’
S
H
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ROME
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
where the game truly shines.
Since each faction or civilization has a unique list of units,
there is incredible variety in the
units you can control and face.
Basic tactics include fixing the
enemy with infantry while your
archers rain down arrows and
your cavalry comes around the
flanks, but the large selection
of units ensures that each battle
is different. Additionally, the
terrain on which the battle is
fought has great influence on
the tactics used; cavalry are
largely ineffective in forests, but
extremely powerful on flat terrain. Archers are lethal on high
ground or on top of city walls.
Different infantry formations
(phalanx, testudo, etc.) are effective against different enemy
units. The AI is adept at choosing the right unit for each situation and, on the higher difficulty
settings, can provide a challenge for even the best players.
The graphics in Rome are
amazingly detailed. Each individual soldier is rendered separately, and even fights as an independent combatant in a
larger unit. Thus it is possible
to have a battle with over
5,000 individual men involved,
each “thinking” for himself. The
graphics engine is so good that
the History Channel used it to
demonstrate Classical battles
and tactics. Rome’s soundtrack
is excellent as well, featuring
suitably epic music. During
battles, the game accurately
CIVIC SERVICE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
February 18-19 the MUS and
Hutchison CSOs will hold the
2nd annual MUS/Hutchison
student leader 24-hour retreat
at the SOS building. At night
the eighty guys and girls will
break into groups and eat dinner with some of the families
from Binghampton that they
will be assisting the next day.
After dinner the students will
hear talks concerning service in
Memphis from community
leaders such as David
Montague and Dr. Rick
Donlon. Before lights out the
students enjoy several hours of
movie and free time. The next
morning the groups split up to
help nearly sixteen families with
odd jobs around the house and
yard. Last year’s retreat was
very valuable to both MUS and
Hutchison students and the
Binghampton families we
helped.
other competition. Victory for
an MUS team seemed apparent until Cajun’s three-foot bananas foster flame failed to ignite thus losing points in presentation. As the can drive to
benefit the Memphis Food
Bank begins to wrap up, the
final count appears to be in the
several thousands. This year’s
charity week will culminate
with the annual MUS Civic
Service Talent Show, which
will be hosted by Mr. Smythe,
Mr. Olson, Kane, and Sloan.
The Talent Show’s thirteen acts
this year are promising with the
return of defending champ
Cody Curtis, William
Montgomery’s Mr. Roboto,
bands headed by seniors Ethan
Knight and Sloan, two dance
skits, and several other various
musical acts. The judges for this
year’s show will be Dr. Dalle,
Dr. Baer, Mr. Thompson, football homecoming queen Tucker
Adams, and Sam Sawyer.
Following charity week
4 ,
reflects the sounds of hundreds
and even thousands of men
marching and horses galloping.
Finally, Rome has great replay value: you have the option
of playing as any civilization
you have conquered in a previous game. So it is possible to
rewrite history and lead the
Carthaginian armies triumphantly through Rome. Rome
also features several short historical battles, including the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
(9 AD) and the Battle of the
River Trebia (218 BC). In
short, Rome: Total War is a
must for anyone who enjoys
strategy games. The game’s
designers have truly made
Rome a highly polished, graphically pleasing success.